In Krabi we are staying in the beachside resort town of Ao Nang. The nightlife is rich here, the walking streets light up with night markets, and laid back bars line streets. Ao Nang is definitely tourist friendly, but that doesn't mean you cant find the traditional Thai cuisine or culture.
On our first day we headed out of town on a '7 Island Sunset Boat Trip', the weather was perfect for it. We spent the day stopping at various small islands dotted off the coast of Krabi in the Andaman Sea. We snorkelled outside Poda Island and Chicken Island, the shoals of tropical fish were amazing but the visibility was poor due to it being 'Green Season' (wet season). Poda Island was my favourite stop. The water was glistening in the sun, the sand was one of the whitest I've seen, long tail boats lined the beaches and we just relaxed their admiring the beautiful landscape. Chicken Island is aptly named after a rock formation that protrudes and looks like a chickens head. Hilarious.
In the evening we headed over to Railay Beach for a BBQ while we watched the sunset. The sand was so soft on Railay Beach, and the ocean emerald green rather than blue. Railay Beach is beautiful as it's so remote and only accessible by boat. Dramatic limestone cliffs hang over restaurants of high class hotels, and there's caves to explore at the ends of the beach. We had a great day exploring the islands off the coast of Krabi and it all ended very excitedly with a fire dance (the guy was like a Jedi!).
For the following days spent in Ao Nang. We went to the local Ao Nang market, which was absolutely huge! We have been to a few markets in Thailand so far, but this was like everyone and their mums had turned up for the car boot sale of the year! Obviously it's pretty standard in Thai culture to have a weekly market to get your fresh vegetables, meat and fish. It's also a pretty cool place to discover new creative street food ideas people have come up with, like the 'Pizza Cone'. Sam said it was delicious. I indulged in some Thai desserts, which are just like the banana bread muffins and jam roly poly's we have at home, but they steam the cake mix, and it is so soft and light.
We have also been out and explored the area by moped to find some neighbouring beaches to Ao Nang, and also some more restaurants! Unfortunately the Thai cuisine on Ao Nang beach has been tarnished by the 'Indi-Thai' restaurants. There is a huge Indian population in Krabi, but it hasn't done them any favours when it comes to the cuisine. We headed west to Nopparat Thara Beach which is more peaceful with beautiful ocean view, and has some amazing restaurants. We ate at Potjawan twice after I had tried their succulent steamed white snapper, which had been caught fresh.